The woman that wont stop weightlifting makes the internet get all fired up over…
Unlike most women, Lea-Anne Ellison will not take it easy being eight and a half weeks pregnant. She is 35 years old and a body builder from Los Angeles.
She has sparked an online storm after posting photos of herself lifting heavy weights on Facebook – with her due date just two weeks away.
Elllison’s photo has already had more than 16,000 comments posted beneath it since it first appeared – and the feedback has been very mixed.
While some appeared to support her decision, including several who claimed to be doctors, others were horrified.
‘This is actually sickening,’ wrote Amanda Cinq-Mars. ‘I hope pregnant [women] around the world do not do this kind of cr**.
‘I am a crossfit enthusiast but I DO NOT recommend this at all. Doctors always strongly suggest to not lift heavy because you can sever your placenta and cause major damage an early labour and miscarriage …. ‘Posting this picture goes people the wrong message that this is OKAY when it’s not!!!!’
Another, Josh Giannapolous, wrote: ‘Cross fit? This goes way beyond a way of life, and right into an obsession.
‘She is very selfish for endangering a life for her own personal gains and achievements. This is not a proud picture to post.
‘After the birth of my second child, I knew I needed to step it up big time! I loved being a Mom but I wanted to be a HOT Mom.
‘This is just the beginning for me and I assure you there are big things to come for this Hot Mom.’
Ellison isn’t the only workout loving mother-to-be to make headlines after her pregnancy regime came to light.
Four years ago Cambridgeshire fitness enthusiast Sarah-Jane Cousins hit the front pages after being pictured lifting 15kg dumbbells with just 11 days to go before her due date.
Another mother criticised for continuing a tough fitness regime throughout her pregnancy was model Nell McAndrew who was stunned at the backlash she received after competing in a gruelling marathon while 20 weeks pregnant.
Speaking to MailOnline after the marathon in November last year, McAndrew said: ‘When I tell people I’m still exercising, they react as if I’ve told them I’ve been smoking or drinking alcohol while pregnant.
‘But what I’m doing is actually good for me and my baby.’
Nell’s belief that fitness aids labour is backed up by studies that have found that babies
of women who exercise are better off when it comes to their birth because ‘foetuses of exercising women may tolerate labour better than those of non-exercisers,’ according to The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG).
‘Exercise is safe for both mother and fetus during pregnancy and women should therefore be encouraged to initiate or continue exercise to derive the health benefits associated with such activities.’
Along with official NHS guidelines that recommend 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day for expectant mothers, the RCOG also advocate exercise where there are no complications in the pregnancy and precautions are taken such as not exercising at a high intensity to raise the heart rate to its maximum and not running while it’s too hot due to a risk of overheating.
They state: ‘In most cases, exercise is safe for both mother and fetus during pregnancy and women should therefore be encouraged to initiate or continue exercise to derive the health benefits
associated with such activities.’
So, is this British woman doing some damage? What do you think?
Your Best Health Today. 